IT HAS BEEN a mixed day for disgruntled Apes Hill Club workers.
Barbados Workers Union deputy general secretary Dwaine Paul told NATION ONLINE they received word from the office of the chief labour officer management was willing to meet on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. but a disturbing incident has left a bad taste in his mouth.
“Our protest action was continuing from 6 a.m. this morning. We were informed of the meeting . . . [and] in the spirit of good industrial relations, we have asked the workers to resume their duties.
“What concerns us is that, at 12:59 p.m, while we were peacefully picketing, a vehicle ploughed through the picket line and struck one of the workers,” he said.
Paul said they were not preventing traffic from entering or exiting the club and only needed a few moments to halt the picketing, calling the actions of the driver “uncalled for and unprovoked”.
He said the worker sought medical attention and the matter was turned over to the police.
In the meantime, Paul said the workers were back on the job but made a call for greater dialogue pertaining to labour relations as Barbados headed to its 50th anniversary.
While not going into specifics, he said the main issue was management’s unwillingness to meet. Today was the third day of industrial action. (CA)